The KIS Approach
The Keep It Simple Approach
(The KIS Approach)
The Keep It Simple approach (KIS approach) is a design principle based on the notion that designs and/or systems should be as simple as possible.
When it comes to our health, we tend to overcomplicate the process, making it harder to support and maintain a healthy lifestyle. We often forget that the basic needs of the body can have the greatest impact on our health and well-being.
Here are three basic needs we feel are important to improve/maintain your health.
All you need is sleep
Sleep is a primitive state of human beings and a daily basic need. Large fractions of the global population are under-slept; one-third of adults report having sleep durations substantially below the recommended 7-9 hours sleep per night.
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Here are some more reasons why good sleep is essential:
- Sleep helps you feel your best;
- Sleep protects you from heart disease, diabetes and other health conditions;
- Sleep boosts your immune system;
- Sleep improves brain function and improves your mood;
- Sleep increases the parasympathetic drive.
Touch is vital
Skin-to-skin contact is vital for mental and emotional health, as well as physical health.
Touch can also calm bodily functions such as your heart rate and blood pressure. It stimulates pressure receptors that transport signals to the vagus nerve. This nerve connects the brain to the rest of the body. It uses the signals to slow the pace of the nervous system.
Touch is thought to be crucial for stimulating pathways of oxytocin, the natural antidepressant serotonin, and the pleasure neurotransmitter dopamine. Plus, it can tackle loneliness.
Make the most of a free gift, and hug someone you care about. There are so many benefits that suggest more hugs = better overall health.
Breath is life
On the physiological level, breath is life. The oxygen we breathe in is processed through our lungs and heart, entering our blood, where it is transferred throughout the body to every single cell.
Irregular breathing triggers a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) state in the body, which is helpful for short-term stress but can leave you more susceptible to anxiety, depression, insomnia, and brain fog over time.
Learning to breathe correctly supports so many of the challenges everyone experiences. It reduces stress, creates feelings of openness, and helps release trauma or mental, physical, and emotional blocks, as well as anxiety, depression, fear, grief, and anger.
It also helps the lymphatic system move fluid and lower heart rate!